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Speaker urges community to embrace heritage
Using examples from the life of George W. Norris, Dr. Charles Peek this morning urged citizens of the McCook area to embrace their heritage by looking ahead and looking outward.
Speaking at the George W. Norris Prayer Breakfast at the Heritage Senior Center, Dr. Peek said "George Norris's example shows us that we have a heritage of looking to what is right rather than what is expedient. Too much today, both among our leaders and among ourselves, there is too little devotion to our public responsibilities and too much pursuit of our private benefit."
Norris set a higher standard. "He believed there was a higher calling than just getting ahead personally. He once said, 'I would rather go down to my political grave with a clear conscience than ride in a chariot of victory as the slave ... of any man.'"
Peek, an English professor at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, spent many of his growing-up years in McCook. "Over the years (I) have become grateful for the start (McCook) gave me in life and for the examples set for me by many of its leading citizens," he said.
Dr. Peek never knew George Norris. Charles moved here after the senator. In the Peeks years here, the family got to know Sen. Norris's second wife, Ellie. Through her and through studying the life of Norris, Dr. Peek came to "cherish the way in which Norris represents the kind of heritage I was given as a young boy growing up in this town."
Dr. Peek is a gifted speaker who is an Episcopal priest as a well as an English professor.
He left the prayer breakfast crowd with these thoughts: "Celebrating our heritage is not so much a stroll down memory lane as it is a revival of the spirit that promises a better tomorrow.
"Someday, people will gather as we are today to celebrate McCook's 150th anniversary, and 200th, and so on. Let's give them a heritage as worth drawing lessons from as the heritage we celebrate today: a heritage of looking back only to get the inspiration we need to look forward and look outward and look to what is right."
Dr. Peek was introduced by Mark Graff, who served as master of ceremonies for the prayer breakfast, Stan Goodwin gave the invocation and the "Key of Gee" quartet, comprised of Russ Ankerson, Merlin Brown, Charles Coleman and Carl Philo, provided two musical selections.
To begin the prayer breakfast, the emcee introduced Heritage Days dignitaries, including the Honor Family, Marv and Dixie Lorentz; the queen, Samantha Jo Post; and the princess, Whitney Bracht. Other special guests acknowledged were Bob Harris, project manager for emerging technologies at the Tennessee Valley Authority in Muscle Shoals, Ala.; Frank Potthoff, a member of the Nebraska State Historical Society Board of Directors; Don Suda of Southwest Public Power; Dennis Berry, mayor of McCook; Eleanor Harris, the matriarch of the Harris family; Kurt Fritsch, city manager; Lee Ann Doak, city clerk; Sue Chipman, Heritage Center director; and Pam Harsh, executive director of the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce.
Graff also recognized the Harris family, including J.T. Harris, a former member of the George W. Norris Foundation board of directors.
The current Norris directors also were introduced. They are Flora Lundberg, president; Gene Morris, vice president; Leon Kuhlen, secretary-treasurer; Pete Graff, Duane Tappe, Walt Sehnert and Daylene Bennett.